This semester I decided to spoil myself a bit and sign up for Birchbox. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Birchbox is an online site that, for a small fee every month, will mail you a package of beauty item samples. There's a women's box and a men's box, and it includes various categories, including everything from nail polish to perfume to haircare products and so much more. The official video from the company explaining what they do is below, if you want a bit more information!

Out of everything, the wipes would have to be my favorite item I received. When the box first came I wondered when I'd even want to use them, but the day after my 21st birthday (more on that coming later this week!) my feet were killing me from wearing heels out to dinner with my parents, forgetting to pack any flats for the weekend and having to wear them all day Sunday. I got back to my dorm Sunday night and remembered I had the wipes, pulled them out with a bit of trepidation but once I used them I felt so much better. They are very soothing and have a nice scent, both things that were very welcome, especially as someone who has very little experience wearing high heels.

The cucumber sunscreen was my second favorite, being very light and refreshing. However I didn't feel like it gave me as much protection from UV rays that I get with products in my normal beauty routine. I experimented with amika's Blow Up Spray and found for my wild mess of curls, it works best as a morning-after spray, giving me the ability to bring some order back to my hair when I'm running late but don't want to put it up. Personally, I don't use any heating tools when I do my hair (curling irons, straight irons, blow-dryers, etc) so I can't attest to how it interacts with those instruments. Nicole Richie's perfume is very light, reminding me of spring and summer days. The vanilla is absolutely lovely and while I'm going to stick with my Tokyomilk perfume as we transition into fall, I plan on making use of this perfume around March of next year!

My least favorite item was the Joeur eyeliner. As someone who usually defaults to liquid liner when I use it, I was excited at the prospect of having a pencil that wasn't black. However the pigment was very opaque and it didn't last long at all, even if I prepped my eyelids with the Urban Decay primer I currently use.

All in all, I am very pleased with my first Birchbox! It is also a very economical way for me to try out new products without spending a fortune, as the majority of what money I do earn right now goes towards school-related things and not much else.